Robert M. Becker, Senior Vice President, Operations and Administration
Robert M. Becker, CHEP, CHS-IV, is the Senior Vice President of Incident Management Solutions, Inc., a New York-based certified emergency management consultancy specializing in planning, training, and operational leadership for emergencies and major events. The Senior Vice President with the practice, Chief Becker brings a wealth of healthcare executive, public safety, and emergency management experience to our clients’ benefit every day. In 2009, Bob was in the first cohort to receive the prestigious new credential, Certified Healthcare Emergency Professional (Master’s level) from the Board of Certified Hazard Control Management. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Associate Executive Director of Elmhurst Hospital Center, a 525-bed municipal 9-1-1 receiving hospital and Level One Trauma Center serving western Queens, where his responsibilities included hospital emergency management, hospital police, and the support services division.
Certified in Homeland Security, Robert M. Becker has had more than 40 years of progressively-responsible background in leading healthcare and emergency service organizations during his career with the City of New York Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal hospital system in the United States. He has served in many capacities, including 18 years as a senior hospital executive, and 19 years leading the New York City Emergency Medical Service (NYC*EMS).
At Elmhurst Hospital Center, Robert Becker was the principal liaison with governmental public safety and emergency management agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. As the hospital’s emergency management coordinator, he chaired the Emergency Management Committee that governed the hospital’s disaster preparedness program in compliance with federal, state, and municipal codes and requirements. In addition, he was the senior executive for a Hospital Police force of 60 Peace Officers, including a Detective Unit and a Technical Unit. Mr. Becker was responsible for overall security of the two-million square foot, multi-building high-rise municipal hospital campus, including the safety of thousands of staff members, patients, and visitors each day.
Chief Becker’s distinguished public safety career began in 1971, when he joined the ranks of NYC*EMS. As an emergency medical technician, he served in a variety of assignments in the Field Services and Communications Divisions, before rapidly rising through the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief (Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island Command), Chief of Field Services, and Chief of Operations. He was the youngest person in New York City history to hold the “four star” position of Chief of Operations.
As the highest-ranking uniformed officer, his hallmark accomplishment was the reorganization of the agency, unifying all the uniformed divisions and special commands within NYC*EMS. These divisions included Field Services, Communications, Support Services, and Special Operations; protecting the health of eight million New Yorkers daily with a diverse city-wide force of 1,900 uniformed personnel, 230 ambulance units, and an annual operating budget of $60 million. During Chief Becker’s tenure, in 1982, NYC*EMS became the first city agency to adopt and implement the new Incident Command System, destined to become the national standard.
During his career, Chief Becker received numerous honors and awards, including the EMS Medal of Honor and the Executive Director’s Medal, as well as several Pre-hospital Save Medals. He is certified in homeland security (CHS Level IV) by the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute, and is a member of the National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Committee on Health Care Emergency Management and Security (NFPA 99-12).